Let's Just Be Friends
by NS- Leclair
Summary: MD Meredith and Derek try the friendship thing and find it's harder than they thought.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own _Grey's Anatomy_ because if I did it would be MerDer heaven and Addison would be off with Mark. This story was inspired by a couple Death Cab For Cutie songs: "I Will Follow You Into the Dark", "Brothers On A Hotel Bed", and basically the whole "Plans" album.

**Rating:** I'm remaining faithful to my NC-17 roots.

**A/N:** I know a few people are going to be disappointed when they find out that I wrote something and it wasn't Snickers related but I'm working on it. This story is dedicated to Ashley because she is awesome. Thank you for guarding Smuff Land. My muse wasn't murdered, simply abducted and now the kidnapper is demanding a ransom. I'm working on it.

**Chapter One**

The sound of the falling rain and the soft call of a wild bird eased her tense muscles into relaxation with little effort. The particular CD had always called Meredith in a way that nothing else ever had. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was a sucker for buying those nature sounds CDs simply because they were the only thing that got her to sleep recently.

Bowing to the foamy green mat beneath her bare feet, she felt the stretching of her muscles in her legs and back. Deftly, she lied on the mat, stomach down, and immediately arched her back until she could look at the wall behind her. Her arms in front of her were used to strain and weight where they had not been weeks ago when she had started to practice yoga. As she breathed evenly in and out, she slid into a new position with grace that had replaced her awkwardness.

The music had transitioned into the gentle rolling of waves; it was by far, Meredith's favorite track. Living in Seattle and working at a hospital didn't allow her much time to venture to the seaside often so the CD acted as a worthy replacement.

Yoga was a way for Meredith to slip away from reality so it was only natural that she didn't hear someone enter the room. Her eyes were closed as she sat cross-legged, simply focusing on her breathing. During her exercising, she found it helpful to meditate or at least sit and just breathe for a while.

"I never knew you did yoga." The voice infiltrated her mind, shattering her focus and distracting her breathing technique.

One of her eyes flickered open to stare darkly at the intruder who was leaning, arms crossed over wool-covered chest, against the wooden doorframe. The smirk on his face was both of amusement and playful mocking.

"I do it when I think I'm _alone_," she stressed the last word in her soft voice, trying to maintain her serenity.

"Am I disrupting?" he wondered knowingly.

"Honestly? Yes."

She eased out of her sitting and into one of her favorite positions that stretched her entire body. It was a little complex and one that she had learned the other day. She wouldn't have confessed it to his face, but she was showing off: only a little. He had, after all, interrupted her and so what if she skipped a couple routine poses to this one? He didn't know the difference.

Opening her eyes now, she saw Derek incline his head to the right a little to gather the full sight of what she was going. He looked at her appreciatively for a moment before he masked it with something else.

"No wonder you were so flexible in bed," he murmured.

She stood up and a fair amount of distance between her legs, reaching down to the floor to stretch her back a little better. It also gave the man in the doorway a side view of her behind.

"I didn't do yoga when I slept with you," she responded casually.

"Then I guess that's another one of your gifts."

Arching eyebrow at him for a brief second before she turned on her heal to change the CD that had now stopped, Meredith anticipated the reply secretly to the question she was about to ask. "In or out of the bedroom?"

He chuckled, grinning at her like he had in the old days; the emotions in his eyes were still the same. "Both."

Frowning, she said in the most nonchalant tone she could muster at that point, "I'm not so sure being flexible helps me much outside of the bedroom, now does it?"

He wondered for a moment, watching her with keen interest as she rolled up the mat. She knew she wouldn't get much more done with the way he was staring at her. Besides, he wasn't one who stopped by often unless he wanted something specific.

"Maybe reaching for something high on a shelf?" he shrugged.

"There's chairs and tall men like yourself for that," she replied, walking by him with her mat under her arm, hoping he would follow.

Like a trained puppy, he obediently followed her upstairs. She stopped half way and he almost bumped into her. He had gotten distracted by the way the Lulu Lemon black pants clung to her petite form. Swallowing hard at the fact that he was caught, he met her eyes.

"Did I say you could come upstairs?"

"You've never turned me down before. Why would start?"

She eyed him closely, knowing that he was right and too clever than she remembered. Sighing, she continued up but he remained where he was until she noticed that there was no longer an echo of footsteps creaking on the stairs behind her. Half turning, she looked at him questioningly.

"Something wrong, Derek?"

"I think it's best I stay here," he said simply, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Since she was already being a little more bold than normal, she said reassuringly, "We're friends, Derek. Nothing's going to happen."

"Not with you wearing that outfit."

She glanced down at her form-fitting light blue tank top that had a razorback and her stretchy black pants that had been a gift for her birthday from Izzy.

"Something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"No, that's the problem."

Meredith stood there in slight bewilderment and then finally sighed out of frustration, something uttered under her breath that sounded awfully like "men".

When she had put away her yoga mat, tucking it under her bed in her room, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She took a second to take in her feminine features that her tight outfit revealed. Okay, so it wasn't something she was accustomed to wearing and it definitely wasn't something that Derek was used to seeing her in, but she was comfortable and she knew that she looked pretty good. Deciding to take down her hair, she let it tumble down onto her small shoulders before she left her bedroom.

Derek wasn't in the stairwell where she left him moments ago. She found him seated in her kitchen, still wearing his coat.

"Do you want to hang up your jacket?"

"I'm not staying long," he revealed.

"Why _are_ you here?"

"What are you doing Saturday?"

"I'm – "

"I know you have it off."

"Why?"

"How about dinner?"

"What does Addison think about that?"

"She doesn't know."

Meredith crossed her arms over her small chest. "I'm not looking for a repeat performance, Derek."

"I'm not asking for one." _Yet._ "All I'm asking is for dinner, with you, Saturday evening."

"Are you cooking?" she eyed him cautiously.

"I was thinking of more a formal restaurant."

"Why?"

"You wear scrubs everyday and if not, you're in jeans."

"I happen to like denim."

"I also know you like to dress up and that you haven't in a long time."

"Luring me in with the proposal of wearing a dress and heels?" She paused and looked him over. "God, you're good."

"So you've mentioned…" he smirked at her, "several times."

There was a moment where she glowered at him and he laughed, loving her reaction.

"I'll pick you up at 7:00," he said, standing up and making his way out of the kitchen.

It was her turn to follow him to the door like a lapdog.

Just as he was about to step out the front door that he had just opened, he turned to her.

"I'd also prefer it if you wore that red dress that you have."

"That's not a friendly thing to say, Derek. Besides, I threw it out."

"Why?"

"Too many memories," she said evenly, giving him a stern look. She saw that he immediately remembered the night that she had worn it just for him and how he showed her exactly how much he loved it.

The expression on his face showed disappointment but it was also of understanding.

"I can imagine why."

The door closed behind him but she hadn't been the one to shut it. For a minute she remained rooted to the spot until she tore herself away from the foyer, suddenly bolting up the stairs.

Her closet was a mess that she was always meaning to get to and tucked in the back with clothes she had forgotten she owned, she felt the soft almost silky fabric of Derek's desire. Finding its hanger and pulling it out from the depths of the closet, Meredith gazed at the garment lovingly but with sadness. She sat down with it on her bed and felt the fabric for a while beneath her fingertips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own, didn't create, and don't make royalties from GA. I also don't own the Switzerland line. That's GA property too that I just borrowed.

**Rating:** This chapter is really G-rated

**A/N:** I'm glad to see the respond was really good to my first GA fic. Yeah, I'm sure some people will be disappointed that it's not Snickers but MerDer is just as yummy. I'm sorry Ashley, but I think that Mr. Dempsey is equally attractive as Mr. Eads. I mean, it's Mc Dreamy. Granted, it's "Pledging Mr. Johnson." Only know the name of that episode because Nick has no shirt on and Sara is like "you're not going to wear that are you?"

Sorry, this chapter is slightly angsty and unfortunately it's the usual GA angst but oh well, it coincides with the story.

**Chapter Two**

"I mean, I can't, can I?" sputtered Meredith, dropping her tray ungracefully down onto the table, startling George slightly.

"Can't do what?" he wondered innocently, looking from Cristina to Meredith.

"McDreamy asked Meredith out on a date," Cristina replied bored, as she peeled her orange by hand.

"It's not a date! It's dinner."

"He asked you to wear that dress."

"What dress?" George asked, looking confused once more.

"I can't. He wants me back, doesn't he? Why else would he ask me to dinner? We're supposed to be friends."

"Friends go to dinner with friends," George interjected.

He got cast a dark look from the woman with ash blonde hair and a humored grin from the one with black. Deciding it was better to just not bother giving his two cents on the situation, George hunched over in his seat, eating his sandwich as the two women conversed in front of him, completely ignoring his presence.

"Then say no if you don't want to go," Cristina said simply, already getting tired with the conversation and how hysterical her friend was acting.

"It's not that I don't want to go, it's that – "

"So you do want to then."

"No, I don't –"

"You do. You're going to get dressed up in that nice slinky red dress that McDreamy loves so much and you're going to have a great evening between friends because that's exactly what you two are."

"But Addison doesn't know."

"Do you think she tells McDreamy everywhere she goes?"

"Obviously not if she cheated on him," muttered George.

They both shot him a pointed look before returning to their conversation.

"The point is, married couples don't tell each other everything. They don't have to."

"But I feel like we're sneaking around," Meredith said, pouting slightly.

"Have you guys gone out to dinner recently?"

"No."

"Seen each other outside work at all?"

"No."

"Had sex?"

"No!"

"So then you're not sneaking around."

"But – "

"Exactly. You know I'm right," she said cockily, easing back into her seat with a self-assured smile on her face.

Meredith gave up immediately. She knew she should have told Izzie instead of Cristina but she hadn't seen the blonde since yesterday morning.

"Where's Izzie?"

"With Alex," George answered, sipping his drink.

"What?" inquired Meredith incredulously. "I thought she wasn't talking to him."

"Did she come last night?"

Meredith turned to Cristina who shook her head and shrugged.

"No, I guess she didn't. Where else would she be?"

"So you don't know for a fact that she's with him?"

"No, I do."

There was a pause in which Meredith and Cristina both waited for George to answer but he was simply taking his time finishing his drink.

"Come on, George. There's only five minutes of lunch left and we're in the pit all day. Let's go," urged Cristina.

"I saw them at the pub together."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Except that they left together and got in Alex's car together."

"I think we need to have a talk with our friend," Cristina commented conspiratorially with a raised eyebrow.

"I think so."

George grabbed his tray after checking his watch, saying that he'd see them in the pit in a few minutes.

"And you and Burke are in?"

"Switzerland. It's very neutral there and they make nice watches."

Meredith nodded. "Of course."

They walked out of the courtyard and into what was the chaotic mess, the heart, of the hospital. Bailey immediately saw the two of them and barked orders from across the room where she was running along the side of gurney to keep up with it.

"Now!" she hollered.

The two interns sprang into action, beginning to follow the orders that were yelled at them. Cristina ushered in the burn victim and Meredith went to do stitches for a guy whose arm was sliced open by his angry girlfriend with a knife.

Derek found her passed out on the bottom bunk in the dark room he had been planning to retire in for a couple hours. She was lying curled in the fetal position with her ash blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. There was enough room for him to spoon in behind her but he resisted the urge immediately when he found himself stepping closer to her. Instead, he grabbed the unoccupied bed across from her. He lay on his side, facing her although he could only see her back.

More and more lately, Derek was finding how much he missed falling asleep to the smell of lavender, how her small and feminine body fit perfectly with his. He was prepared to give anything to be with her again. He missed waking up and seeing her next to him, the smile that was always on her face when she found him making her breakfast in the morning. Yes, losing everything was worth being with her again and he knew what the cost would be; the same cost it had been last time. His marriage. Where he thought he could love his wife again and he had tried, honestly tried to rekindle their youth where he looked at her with so much lust and affection, seeing the same returned in her eyes, he couldn't. He tried and he had failed, finding there was no love left in his heart for the woman that had cheated on him and that he had cheated on.

His heart belonged to the woman on the bed across the room from him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Nothing.

**Rating:** This chapter is unfortunately G rated.

**A/N:** I'm kind of just taking what I like from GA and making it mine. In my mind, the prom never happened despite the fact that I liked the turn of events. Denny is, unfortunately, not around. Maybe I'll make him eventually but I've always had a soft spot for Izzie and Alex. Burke and Cristina are clearly together and George is with Callie. Then there's the ever-present love triangle. Yippy. Just thought I'd clear a few things up though I think I make things evident throughout the story.

**Chapter Three**

Meredith and George were settled on the couch in front of the television with a box of half eaten pizza on the coffee table before them. They were fully absorbed in watching a movie that Izzie didn't recognize. That was how she had found them when she walked in, Alex not too far behind her. He closed the door quietly but Meredith had excellent hearing.

"It's nice to see you," she said from the couch, her eyes traveling from Izzie to the man close by the blonde's side. "Hi, Alex."

George's attention was torn away from the TV to the door where his roommate stood not alone. He waved with his freehand at the other man, pizza occupying his right hand. Alex nodded.

"Alex in staying the night," Izzie stated firmly. She said it as a statement but there was a hint in her voice that allowed opposition. She was surprised that Meredith nodded, seemingly not caring.

"Want some pizza?" offered George.

"Yeah, I'm starving," she replied, shrugging off her coat which Alex took and hung up next to his.

Izzie was surprised for a while that Meredith hadn't demanded on the spot that Alex leave or that there wasn't any awkwardness when she had allowed him to stay. Instead, the four of them gathered around the television and watched what was left of the movie.

It was well past midnight and Meredith was still awake in her bed, more restless than she had ever been in a very long time. She kept shifting uncomfortably in her bed, continuously readjusting her pillow and then moving from her back, to her side, her other side, and even her stomach. It was then that she realized how big and how empty her bed was. That's what was bothering her. She'd gotten so used to sharing it with someone else and now, three weeks later, she was finally realizing how much she missed having a warm body next to her.

She cursed the man's name that was keeping her awake and her foolishness for thinking about it more than she had in weeks. She thought she was finally accepting the fact that they were friends, that they could go about their lives as friends. As far as she was concerned, Derek was to be with Addison and she was to be alone. He'd chosen Addison and made everything quite clear in doing so. Although he had ever right to choose Addison, his wife of many years, Meredith couldn't help but resent him for it. He'd told her that he loved her and Meredith had done the same. Their whole world was flipped when a redhead introduced herself as his wife. It made Meredith sick to know that she was sleeping with and dating a married man. It made her even sicker when she continued to see Derek for a while despite the fact that she knew his secret, why he ignored his pager continuously when it beeped, and when some nights he didn't sleep over.

Getting up with a frustrated sigh, she felt the cold floor beneath her. It wasn't only her thoughts that were keeping her awake but the noises that were coming from down the hall. She felt sorry for George because he always had to endure the sounds coming from different rooms and how no sounds ever came from his bedroom at night. Although he was seeing that doctor that Meredith had decided she wasn't too fond of, she had to hand it to the guy for getting over her or at least trying. Meredith wasn't proud of the fact that she'd slept with George because how much it had hurt him afterwards but she was happy to see that he was speaking to her again.

Walking quietly down the stairs, Meredith had changed into a pair of jeans and a violet colored cashmere turtleneck to help ward of the cold breeze that Seattle always endured. She slipped on a light jacket and instinctively headed to the hospital.

When she arrived, she got out of her car and walked up the cement walkway, gazing down at the wet pavement. There was an empty bench that she liked to sit on and that's where she found herself headed. The hospital wasn't buzzing with life but she liked to be near it sometimes. In the past year, it had become her life. Her friends had been found there, her career was there, and the man she loved was there, all within the walls of Seattle Grace. She thought it would bother her that she spent so much time there and she knew that times like this, she needed a few hobbies besides her newly found yoga and the brief period where she had taken up knitting when she had started seeing the Vet. He was gone now. Meredith knew that he wasn't the right one as good of a man that Finn was.

Breathing in the cool, calm night air, Meredith listened to the soft falling of footsteps. She knew who it was without even looking. It bothered her that she had horrible timing. He wasn't really the person she wanted to see since he was always on her mind.

"Meredith," he said, sounding genuinely surprised. "May I sit?"

She looked up at him. He was dressed in casual attire: a pair of dark jeans and a simply grey sweater that wasn't as nice as the ones he usually wore but she understood the need for comfort sometimes. Nodding, she watched him sit before she turned her attention back to the night sky. Stars littered it despite the fact that she couldn't see them all because of the light pollution from the city and the hospital.

"I remember how you liked to look at the stars outside my trailer," he commented, following her gaze up.

"You do have a really nice view."

"Yes, I do." He said it while looking at her but she chose to ignore him.

"Derek, why didn't you pick me?"

It took him a moment to respond and wasn't exactly the answer she was hoping for. "I did what I thought was right."

"You went back to your wife, you mean, because she's your wife? Not because you love her or you want to be with her but because by a piece of paper, you have to?"

"I had to give her another chance."

"I know it's selfish of me to think that you would ever leave your wife for your mistress but I guess I still had to hope that you would."

There was a silence between them that wasn't exactly awkward but it wasn't necessarily filled with ease. Meredith knew that as much as she liked to not talk about everything and just accept it as the past, she had to get the answers that only Derek possessed because she had to move on or at least try.

"Was it right, Derek?"

He looked into her grey-blue eyes and saw the broken heart beneath the façade. It disturbed him how much he was capable of hurting people, that whatever he did could affect someone else. He should have realized that sooner being a brain surgeon and all.

"She may be my wife, Meredith, but I don't love her like one anymore."

Meredith didn't really know what to say to that though it was along the lines of what she wanted to hear.

"I think she's cheating on me again," he said a moment later.

He was no longer looking at her but at the foliage in front of the hospital. It was easier than meeting Meredith's hurting and questioning eyes because when he saw them, he wanted to mend them but he wasn't exactly sure how.

"Is that why you asked me to dinner?"

"What?"

"She's cheating so you've decided that you think you will too?" she asked accusingly, but with soft voice that was misleading.

"That's not it at all, Mer. You should know me better than that."

"I thought I did, Derek. I really thought I did but I realized that I don't."

He was frowning at her, his eyes flickering over her face and up to her eyes.

"You chose her; you picked her; you loved her."

Immediately, he recognized a similar line that Meredith had yelled at him.

"Meredith, ask me what I want."

"Derek, what do you want?"

"I want what we used to have."

Laughing bitterly, she replied, "I don't."

"You don't?"

"No. I don't want to go around sneaking behind your wife's back, lying to my friends and coworkers, and constantly being in a state of paranoia that we might get caught."

"We wouldn't be if I didn't have a wife."

"But you have a wife, Derek. She's always there," Meredith said with sadness in her voice, pointing to the gold band on his finger. "Even if you did divorce her, I couldn't bear to think about how she's been the one touching you for the past few months, how you've told her that you love her every morning."

"Except I haven't touched her months and I can't remember the last time I told her that I love her because I don't say it unless I mean it."

She understood what he meant by that.

Deciding that it was time to leave and finally sleep, Meredith stood up and half turned to look at him sitting with his fingers linked loosely in his lap.

"We're friends, Derek. I'm starting to accept that."

"Well stop accepting it, Meredith, because I want to be a lot more than your friend."

"You had the chance and you blew it. Now you've got to live with it."

"I –"

She was already at the end of the sidewalk, stepping down onto the dark pavement to her car. Her was held high, even as the tears threatened to prick her eyes and slid down her flushed cheeks from the cold. She fumbled with her keys as he called after her. She slid into the front seat and turned the key hastily in the ignition, begging it to hurry because she could see in her rear view mirror that Derek had broke into a run. Her foot hit the gas but he didn't give up immediately until her car sped out of the parking lot and he was left panting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately own nothing except the season one soundtrack.

**Rating:** Mild PG-13. Really mild.

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for reviewing. You guys are awesome. Sorry Ashley that I haven't replied your email yet. Just started school and rugby so I'm a little busy but I promise I'll email you back soon! I think I found my muse.

**Chapter Four**

When Derek arrived back at his deserted trailer, he thought he would have enjoyed the solitude now that Addison was gone but he was craved companionship even if it meant Addison simply being in his bed next to him or sitting at the kitchen table doing the crossword in the paper. He didn't have the heart, though he wasn't sure why, to tell Meredith that Addison was gone. The last time she had slept in his trailer was a week and a half ago. Since then, they had signed the divorce papers and gone their separate ways. Addison was no doubt packing all of her belongings in her hotel room for her trip back to New York. She had already given her two weeks at work, much to the Chief's dismay and he had honestly tried to convince her to stay. Her old job was waiting for her back home and she couldn't have been happier to have it back.

Cracking open a beer, Derek took a healthy swig, savoring the taste as it went down his throat smoothly. He took a seat on one of the chairs on the porch and sighed, feeling what it felt like to be alone.

Tears seared her cheeks and she stubbornly wiped them away out of shame with the back of her hand. She was craving a stiff drink but she was sick of drowning her sorrows in the bottom of a bottle of tequila. Pulling up in the driveway, she killed the engine a second later and just sat there in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel while her forehead rested on them. She could feel sleep beginning to tug at her body and how her eyes were starting to feel heavy.

The house was silent when she opened the front door. She kicked off her boots and went straight to the stairs. Looking through Izzie's open door, Meredith saw that the blonde was asleep on top of her bed, still in her scrubs. She closed her friend's door and went immediately to her own, not bothering to even slip into some pajamas. Falling down on her bed, spread eagle, exhaustion quickly enveloped her.

When Meredith woke up, she felt the warm sun streaming in through her blinds and onto her face. She reached over and grabbed her clock, finding that it was almost noon and that she had slept for a good ten hours straight. Sighing, she was happy that she had been able to get Cristina to take her shift that night since it was, after all, Saturday and Meredith knew that despite their little talk the night before, Derek would still show up at her door at seven o'clock sharp, expecting her in the slinky red dress that was resting neatly on a chair in her room.

She pulled her cashmere shirt over her head and watched the violet garment as it was thrown into a hamper. Her jeans were next. Since she knew that she was alone in the house, even if she wasn't she wouldn't have cared, Meredith walked to the bathroom in her bra and underwear. Resting two towels on the toilet, she caught herself in the mirror and noticed how she definitely was in need of some hot water relaxing her muscles. Running the water, Meredith let it fill up the tub as she poured some lavender bubble bath into it before removing her remaining garments. A moment later, she slipped in the hot water all at once, relishing in the slight burning of the temperature as it hit every inch of her skin.

She rested her head back against the lip of the tub, closed her eyes, and breathed in the mingled scents in the air. Her fingers dipped into the water, skimming the surface lazily as she hummed quietly to herself. She wasn't aware that her body was still craving sleep as her eyes began to fall heavy until they remained closed.

Standing outside her door, he slipped his large hands into the front pockets of his jeans while he waited impatiently for her to answer. Her car was there and he knew that she had the day off from work, so Derek concluded that she was probably avoiding him. Knowing that Izzie had a bad habit of not locking the door, Derek had a hunch and tried turning the knob. Sure enough, the door opened a crack and Derek peered inside. Everything was still and silent with lavender in the air. He closed and locked the door behind him as he slipped off his shoes soundlessly. Making sure that the bottom floor was deserted, he headed up stairs and swore he heard the sound of water. The bathroom door gave compliantly and he was entirely prepared for the sight in front of him.

The bubbles had dissipated entirely, leaving behind clear, steaming water that gave the man in the doorway full view of the naked body submerged. He moved closer to her, his eyes transfixed on her legs underneath the water. It was apparent that she was sleeping and he figured that she was bound to have a bad kink in her neck from the way her head was resting to the side, exposing her neck to him. From a couple inches below her showers down, she was in water as well as the ends of her hair.

Quietly, as not to disturb her, Derek sat down on the toilet and gazed at her for a long while. He could have left and he probably should have because he knew that if she woke up and found him there staring at her naked body, she was likely to kill him. He was sure she had a few scalpels lying around the house that were dying to be used.

Her eyes slowly drifted open and settled on the man that was hunched over on the toilet seat top, his elbows resting on his knees with his fingers entwined, his gaze meeting hers. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment and she nearly let out a yelp in surprise. It took a moment to realize that it was merely Derek watching her with an emotion in his eyes that she had seen countless times in the past.

"Jesus, Derek, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she said breathlessly, her hand pressed hard against her chest.

His eyes followed the movement of her hand in between her breasts and he unconsciously licked her lips. Lucky for him, she didn't notice since she was resting her head back against the wall, one hand still on her chest and the other gripping her the top of her head.

"I wasn't thinking about it, no," he replied softly.

Sitting up, her mind still slightly groggy despite how her body was on full alert, she dipped her head completely in water so that all of her hair was wet before she heard what sounded like a suppressed moan from the man a few feet away from her. She flickered her eyes onto him and saw how his gaze was clearly not on her face. She looked down and swore aloud, immediately grabbing for the sliding door of the shower to shield her naked body.

The sound of the door slamming and the lack of the exposed woman in front of him brought Derek out of his reverie.

"Damn it, Derek!" she hollered.

"I couldn't help it," was the innocent reply.

She drained the water and realized that he had undoubtedly been staring at her body through the clear water. Cursing her own stupidity at how she hadn't immediately recognized that she was naked, Meredith demanded him to hand her one of the towels that he had moved from the toilet to the counter.

"No, I think you can get them yourself," he quipped, giving her the teasing McDreamy look that drove her crazy and turned her knees to mush.

"How the hell did you get in here anyways?"

"Your roommates have a bad habit of not locking the door," he responded, trying to make out her form through the frosted glass.

"Hand me the towels, Derek."

"Ask nicely and I'll think about it."

"Please, Derek, hand me the towels," she spat.

"I think you could be a lot nicer," he smiled and saw through the glass how she was glaring at him menacingly.

"Why are you even here?"

"Just making sure that we're still on for dinner."

"There's phones for those kind of things."

"You didn't answer yours so I figured you were screening."

There was a long pause between the two of them before Meredith's hostile voice broke the silence with a threat.

"If you don't hand me one of those towels Dr. Sheppard, you'll soon find out what it's like to have brain surgery without anesthesia."

Chuckling, he replied, "Empty threats."

"You really want to test me?"

"I think I can take you, Dr. Grey."

Slowly, Meredith stepped out of the shower, eyeing him dangerously and just as she was reaching for the towels, only half of her body exposed, Derek snatched them away from her and made a run for it. She yelled after him but he was already down the hall.

Meredith shook her head at him and sighed. Like she didn't have more than two towels in her house. Opening the cupboard underneath the sink, she pulled out a fluffy white towel for her body and a pink one for her hair.

It took Derek a few minutes to realize that she wasn't coming after him. He was hiding out in the laundry room where he decided to leave the towels before going back up to the bathroom to find her.

Leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest, he watched her smooth cream up her right leg, her foot resting on the toilet seat. He had a great view of her behind that was covered in a pair of white silky booty shorts and a matching bra that completed the ensemble. Her hair was wet and drying by air, sticking slightly in waves to her back.

"This is a sight I could get used to," he murmured, hoping he wouldn't scare her again.

"Took you long enough," she smirked, standing up straight, apparently finished.

She walked right past him but he reached her out and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her flush against him. Her hands went out to brace herself on his chest and her smoky blue eyes flashed up to stare questioningly into his.

"Derek, let go of me," she whispered softly though her voice was even.

"I keep thinking about kissing you, Meredith Grey. I keep wondering if you still kiss the same; gently gliding your lips across mine before you crush your mouth to mine passionately."

Her mouth was slightly agape, not expecting him to be so forward with her but she wasn't so sure she minded. It was a delightful change from dancing around subjects.

"And I still wonder if you still feel the same," he murmured, his free hand running down her back, tickling her with his fingertips. He leaned closer and breathed in the arch of her neck before moving back only a little, his mouth near inches from hers. "I know you still smell the same."

"Derek, please," she whimpered, pulling back gently from his crushing grasp. "You're hurting me."

He loosened his grip but continued to grip her wrist possessively.

"She's gone, Mer. I left her. It's over."

Frowning, she shook her head slightly and looked him dead in the eye. "What?"

"Addison and I: we're divorced. Have been for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Almost two weeks."

She looked at his left hand that happened to be the one holding onto her. There was no gold band adorning his ring finger.

"I sold it."

"Why?"

"I don't want anything that reminds me of her so I gave it back and I'm sure its paying for her flight home and her stay in a hotel for the past week."

"Derek…" she trailed off, confused and not knowing what to think.

He didn't say anything, just cupped the side of her cheek and tilted her face up to his. Her mouth was slack and inviting so he took advantage of it, brushing his lips softly against hers before molding his mouth to hers in a seering, almost dominating kiss filled with fervor and yearning. He was holding her so tightly to him that she was finding it hard to breathe between the pressure of his embrace and his kisses. She was on her tiptoes to meet him equally and wrapping her arms around her neck as she slid her tongue inside his mouth. His teeth caught her bottom lip and he tugged roughly eliciting a moan from her.

Meredith had to pull away a moment later, her breath coming out in small pants and his mirrored her own. He was smiling down at her and she shook her head, grinning like a fool in disbelief.

"You kiss better than I remember," he whispered softly into her ear before tugging gently at the lobe and licking the outer shell of her ear.

The flush in her cheeks reddened even more than before. She swallowed hard and lightly pulled herself out of his embrace, catching his hand and leading him out of the bathroom.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him while she led him to her bedroom.

"Only four o'clock."

"Got to get ready for dinner soon."

"We have plenty of time, Meredith."


End file.
